Bowl brush assembly

ABSTRACT

A brush and holder assembly in which the brush is held out of contact with the holder at all points except the suspension point, the holder being open and pivotable and tiltable about a suspending point whereby unobstructed access to the holder cavity is provided the user, said holder cavity having no recesses or other possible water collecting points therein which are different to maintain in a sanitary condition. The assembly may be swung out of the way when not in use to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

O United States Patent 1 [111 3,883,197 Reid May 13, 1975 [54] BOWLBRUSH ASSEMBLY 3,450,452 6/1969 Reid .f. 312/206 [76] Inventor: JoycePruitt Reid, 1316 W. llSth St, Chi 11], 60643 Primary Examiner-PeterFeldman [22] Filed: May 31, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 365,492 [57] ABSTRACT Abrush and holder assembly in which the brush is [52] US CL i 312/206,206/361, 2] H65 held out of contact with the holder at all points except[51] Int Cl l I I l l A47 29 A46b 17/00 the suspension point, the holderbeing open and pivot- [58] Fie'ld 15/258 247 184 able and tiltable abouta suspending point whereby un- 15/185 '6' I 'i' 2 1 obstructed access tothe holder cavity is provided the user, said holder cavity having norecesses or other possible water collecting points therein which aredif- [56] References Cited ferent to maintain in a sanitary condition.The assembly may be swung out of the way when not in use to UNITEDSTATES PATENTS present an aesthetically pleasing appearance. 2,464,0853/1949 Hess 312/206 UX 3,361,507 H1968 O'Neil 312/206 4 Claims, 3Drawing Figures .ven tioriisuspended in place between use from the upperedge of a vertical wall of a toilet tank;

BOWL BRUSH ASSEMBLY This invention relates generally to brush and holdersets, and specifically to a brush and holder set designed for watercloset use, which is practical, unobtrusive, and to the extent it isused in an exposed location, aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Brush and holder sets of the general typedescribed above are often unsightly and all too frequently unsanitary.Thus water closet bowl cleaning brushes are conventionally designed witha generally round, exploded bristle construction which, though efficientin use, has the undesirable features of retaining water and other finesediments which may be present in the water upon withdrawal from thebowl; some of the water and sediments, if present, may even remain onthe brush after shaking or hitting against a solid surface after use.Should such a brush be placed on the floor with the bristles, in contacttherewith after use, a pool of water may be formed which is susceptibleof tracking throughout the immediate area. Hence it is very desirable tohouse the brush in a container or holder which holds the brush away fromthe floor. ii

Even when the brush is in a holder it is possible for odors to developand an unsightly appearance to result due to the fact that the bristlesat the extremity of the brush com in contact with the holder. Thus, ifthe brush whe in the holder rests on the bottom of a receiving pocket,there is a tendency for water and sediment to run from the exposedbristles into the pocket.

Alternate moistening and drying of a few drops after each use may causea buildup of residue and the consequent creation of an undesirable odor.

Further, many of the brush and bolder sets now in use, including thoseconstructed to be suspended from an elevated location, such as the upperedge of the sidewall of a water tank, are difficult and awkward to usedue to suspension arrangements which preclude easy manipulation. Andfinally, many present brush and holder assemblies are unsightly and notparticularly pleasing to the eye when in place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly a primary object of the inventionis to provide a combination water closet brush and holder assembly whichmay be suspended from an elevated, out-of-the-way position, includingthe top edge of the water tank, and when so suspended, is unobtrusiveyet easily accessible for use.

Another object is to provide a brush and bolder combination as abovedescribed in which the portion of the brush exposed to water in thetoilet bowl is held outof contact with any adjacent surface followinguse whereby water run-off and collection, and consequent opportunity forundesirable odor generation, is minimised.

, The foregoing and otlfer objects will become apparent from the d FIG.2 is a front view of the holder and brush assembly of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the upper end portion, including thesuspension means, of the brush and holder assembly of this invention.

Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like parts from Figureto Figure in the following description of the drawing.

Referring first to FIG: 1, the brush and holder assembly of theinvention is illustrated generally at 10. Holder 11 includes anelongated handle or shank portion 12 and a head portion 13. The headportion 13 is laterally offset with respect to handle portion 12 as bestseen in FIG. 1. Holder 11 includes side walls 14, 15, and an upper endwall 16. In this instance the lower end wall is indicated generally at17, this wall being formed by the converging portions of side walls 14and 15 where they form the head portion 13. The back wall is indicatedat 18. If desired, this wall can be modified to include additionalangular surfaces, such as surface 19, which will give a pleasingaesthetic appearance to the outer exposed surface of the holder.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the inner or front side of the holder is open toprovide easy access.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that lower end wall 17 is formed at aslight downward angle when the holder is suspended vertically, and thatall interior surfaces beneath upper end wall 16 except the drip barriermember 20 slope uninterruptedly downwardly. Although the drip barriermember 20 is shown as a smooth raised edge or bead formed from the samematerial as the holder, it will be understood that other configurationsand materials, including a strip of sponge like material, may beemployed; it is essential, however, that the drip barrier member be socontoured that it does not form a pocket which would easily entrapmoisture and sediment and facilitate build-up of sediment and consequentgeneration of undesirable odors.

A conventional water closet bowl brush is indicated generally at 21 inFIG. 2. The brush includes a handle portion 22 and a bristle section 23which has been shown, in this instance, as of the exploded bristle type.The upper end of handle portion 22 is apertured as at 24 so that thebrush can be suspended from a projection 25 formed integrally withholder 11 This means of suspension enables the brush to be suspendedwithin the holder out of contact with all adjacent surfaces.

Means for connecting the brush and holder assembly to an anchorlocation, such as a vertical surface, are illustrated best at the upperend of FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIG. 3. The connecting means'l includes, inthis instance, a hanger 27 having an upper hook section 28, a downwardlydepending shank portion 29, and a transversely outwardly extendingportion 30. A fastener, in this instance a rivet type structure, isindicated at 31. The rivet shank passes through a hole in transversesection 30 of the hanger, the diameter of the hole being substantiallylarger than the diameter of the rivet shank so as to enable the holderto be easily rotated and tilted with respect to the vertical axis of theaperture. The hook section 28 of the hanger is shown attached to theupper edge of a side wall 33 of a water closet tank 34.

From the relative position of the parts in FIG. 1 it will be noted thatthe head portion 13 of the brush and holder assembly, when at rest,extends laterally inwardly, that is, toward the water tank, whichthereby makes possible the tucking of the holder under the tank andminimizes its projection into the room.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows.

In the condition of rest, represented by the solid line positions inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the brush 21 is suspended from projection 25 formed inholder 11. The parts are so dimensioned that brush 21, when suspendedfrom projection 25, is out of contact with all internal surfaces ofholder 1 1. Thus, although moisture may collect in drops on handleportion 22 of the brush and the bristles 23, the tendency forthedroplets to coalesce and run down the bristles due to engagement ofthe bristles with one another and an internal surface of the holder isminimized with the result that collection of a pool of droplets from thebristles in a location remote from the bristles is minimized. Further,since all internal surfaces of holder 11, except drip barrier member 20,slope uninterruptedly downwardly, including the lower end wall 17, norecessed pocket is formed within the holder which would entrap water andsediment from the bristles and facilitate build-up of sediment and theconsequent generation of odors. The open wall feature also facilitatesinternal cleaning of the holder, the smooth edge bead which prevents theoccasionally deposited drop of water from running onto the floorpresenting no obstacle to a wiping action.

In use, the user merely grasps the outside of holder 11, and rotates itin an appropriate direction, such as the direction of the arrows of FIG.3. At the same time, in view of the loose fit between the shank portionof rivet 26 and the receiving aperture in transverse section 30 of thehanger 27, the brush and holder assembly may be tilted into the dottedline position of FIG. 1. Since no mechanical restraining element isemployed to hold the brush 21 onto projection 25, tilting of theassembly will cause the brush to hang vertically downwardly, and bedisplaced relatively outwardly from its nested position of FIG. 2, thusfacilitating easy grasping of the brush by the user.

After use the brush is merely placed back onto projection 25. Theholder, during use, may be located at any angular position whichdeviates from the position shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Assuming theholder is rotated 90 from the FIG. 3 position during use, the usermerely rotates the holder with the suspended brush back to the FIG. 3position whereby the assembly is returned to its unobstrusive positionshown in FIG. 1.

Since the inner side of the holder 11 is open and unobstructedthroughout the vertical distance spanned by the brush, maximum ease ofaccess, during both retrieval and placement of the brush, has beenprovided.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious tothose skilled in the art upon a review of the foregoing description.Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limitednot by the scope of the foregoing description, but solely by the scopeof the hereafter appended claims when interpreted in light of thepertinent prior art.

I claim:

1. A brush and holder assembly, said assembly including, in combination,

a brush having an elongated handle and a bristle portion at one endthereof,

a holder for said brush,

said holder being formed generally in the shape of said brush and havingan open, unobstructed entry side,

means for suspending the brush in the holder from a support locationintegral with the holder which maintains the bristle portion out ofcontact with the holder, and

means for connecting said brush and holder assembly from an anchorlocation which enables said assembly, when not in use, to be disposedwith the open, unobstructed entry side of the holder facing an adjacentvertical surface, such as the vertical wall of a water closet tank towhich the assembly is anchored,

said connecting means further enabling the brush and holder assembly tobe unrestrainedly rotated and tilted with respect to the adjacentvertical surface whereby the brush may be freely inserted into, andremoved from, the holder, and the holder disposed in a position in whichthe open entry side faces the adjacent vertical surface.

2. The brush and holder assembly of claim 1 further characterized inthat the holder is so formed and contoured that when suspendedvertically all internal surfaces at all levels which may become wetduring use, except a smoothly contoured drip barrier member located atsubstantially the lowest elevation of the assembly, slope downwardly.

3. The brush and bolder assembly of claim 1 further characterized inthat the suspension means includes a projection integrally formed withthe holder,

said projection being arranged to co-act with receptacle means on thebrush.

4. The brush and holder assembly of claim 1 further characterized inthat the connecting means for the brush and holder assembly includes afirst member constructed and arranged to be secured to an anchor point,such as the upper edge of a water tank,

a second member which extends generally transversely outwardly from theanchor point, and

a fastener which connects the upper end portion of the holder to saidsecond member,

said fastener providing rotational and vertically tiltable movement ofthe holder with respect to the adjacent vertical surface,

said means for suspending the brush in the holder providing relativevertical displacement between the brush and the holder whereby thebrush, upon vertically tilting the holder, will separate from the holderso that the brush may be grasped and removed from the holder.

1. A brush and holder assembly, said assembly including, in combination, a brush having an elongated handle and a bristle portion at one end thereof, a holder for said brush, said holder being formed generally in the shape of said brush and having an open, unobstructed entry side, means for suspending the brush in the holder from a support location integral with the holder which maintains the bristle portion out of contact with the holder, and means for connecting said brush and holder assembly from an anchor location which enables said assembly, when not in use, to be disposed with the open, unobstructed entry side of the holder facing an adjacent vertical surface, such as the vertical wall of a water closet tank to which the assembly is anchored, said connecting means further enabling the brush and holder assembly to be unrestrainedly rotated and tilted with respect to the adjacent vertical surface whereby the brush may be freely inserted into, and removed from, the holder, and the holder disposed in a position in which the open entry side faces the adjacent vertical surface.
 2. The brush and holder assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that the holder is so formed and contoured that when suSpended vertically all internal surfaces at all levels which may become wet during use, except a smoothly contoured drip barrier member located at substantially the lowest elevation of the assembly, slope downwardly.
 3. The brush and holder assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that the suspension means includes a projection integrally formed with the holder, said projection being arranged to co-act with receptacle means on the brush.
 4. The brush and holder assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that the connecting means for the brush and holder assembly includes a first member constructed and arranged to be secured to an anchor point, such as the upper edge of a water tank, a second member which extends generally transversely outwardly from the anchor point, and a fastener which connects the upper end portion of the holder to said second member, said fastener providing rotational and vertically tiltable movement of the holder with respect to the adjacent vertical surface, said means for suspending the brush in the holder providing relative vertical displacement between the brush and the holder whereby the brush, upon vertically tilting the holder, will separate from the holder so that the brush may be grasped and removed from the holder. 